The Face in the Water
by YamiHeart
Summary: Italy gets lost and comes across a pond. When he looks into the water, a familiar face looks back at him that he hasn't seen in over a thousand years. What will he do when he gets pulled under so that the two can be together again? GerIta HREisGER theory


_Oh. My. RA. Why the heck did it take me FIVE DAYS to write a ONE-SHOT?_

_And I don't even think it's that good. -_- UGH. I might fix it one day, but right now I'm so glad I've finished I just want to publish it and get it over with. I apologize for some OOCness that I know is in there._

_This is dedicated to my good friend __**loveboylove**__, who has been waiting for this for a couple days. I'm sorry for how disappointing it'll probably be._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia, der. __**BUT**__ I __**DO**__ own the poem at the beginning of this. I wrote it. If you want to use it, all you have to do is ask._

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><p><em>The water gleams in the evening light,<em>

_You look in_

_And are met with quite a sight._

_The face of a dead loved one comes to view_

_You can't believe it_

_They're speaking, calling out to you._

"_I miss you," They whisper. "Come with me."_

_You speak softly back,_

"_How? How can I come with you? How can this be?"_

_A kind smile comes on their face._

_You hold your breath_

"_Take my hand and we can leave this place." _

_They hold out their hand from below _

_You do the same,_

_Planning on never again letting go._

_To your amazement, your hand grabs the other_

_You can't breathe_

_As water rushes and begins to smother._

_They smile gently as they pull you deeper._

_You stop fighting_

_And enter the realm of the Reaper._

_No one goes to the pond surrounded by trees._

_You did,_

_And now you might be the face someone sees._

* * *

><p>"Veh~ I'm so lost…" His curl bounced with ever tired step he took through the thick brush of the forest. His black shirt hung limply around his shoulders, letting the cold metal cross around his neck rest on his exposed chest. His pants were still on the beach he shouldn't have left, and he was thankful that his friends made him put his underwear back on.<p>

Germany had told him to stay put while he and Japan went to Chinatown, but…the kitty was too cute to not follow into the forest! Italy never caught that cat and now he wasn't sure where he was! All he knew was that he was tired and that it was getting dark.

Thankfully, a small clearing opened to the slightly tanned man. He sat down on the warm grass bank of a glimmering pond and sighed.

"I should probably stay here for the night…I'm positive Germany would tell me the same thing!" Italy giggled. Thinking about Germany always made Italy happy.

Then, he remembered that Germany wasn't there. That he was _alone_. Italy brought his knees to his chest and glanced into the water below.

He nearly choked on his own breath.

Italy quickly rubbed his eyes, but the image was still there.

The Holy Roman Empire was looking at him from the other side of the water. The blue eyes, the blond hair, the black hat and cloak, it was all there!

"Italy! How I've missed you so!" That was his voice. Holy Rome had _talked_ to him. But…he was dead.

"Italy, is something wrong?" Concern, concern Italy hadn't heard in over a thousand years, laced Holy Rome's voice. Tears pricked at Italy's eyes.

"You…you died…How…how am I seeing you?"

Even when he was alive, Holy Rome didn't smile much. However, he smiled now. "This pond has allowed me to visit you."

"For how long?"

The child's face scrunched as he thought. "As…long as you want…I guess…" The blonde's face softened back to the smile that stopped Italy's heart. "But how long doesn't really matter! It's just so great to see you again!"

Little droplets fell from the brunette's eyes and caused the water to ripple. "I-It's been so long…I waited for you for so long…"

"And for that I am sorry. I never meant to make my love wait, but…at least I kept my promise, right?"

Italy nodded and smiled brightly through his tears. "You did, you did, you did! If only you weren't…"

"Dead? Yeah, it does make this reunion a bit hard…but there's a way we can be closer!"

The Italian's head tilted to the left and his smile fell to be replaced with a look of curiosity. "Veh~? There is? How?"

A small hand brushed the surface from under the water. "Grab my hand Feli." Holy Rome had never called him that before. He kind of liked it. "Grab my hand and we can be together again."

Italy started to reach his hand out before hesitating. What about Germany and Japan? Would they worry about him if he left?

"What's wrong Feli?" There was that nickname again. How did Holy Rome even know his human name, nonetheless his nickname? Italy had never told his childhood love it before. "Don't you want to come with me?"

"O-Of course! It's just…I don't want my friends to worry…"

"It won't take long, I promise!" Holy Rome's voice seemed to be a little desperate. He really did miss Italy, didn't he? "You'll be back in no time!"

Italy's smile returned. "Veh~ Okay Holy Rome. I trust you." His tanned hand touched the surface of the water before feeling the warm touch of the hand on the other side. A few more tears escaped Italy's eyes. He could _feel_ Holy Rome!

The happy feeling was almost completely washed away as Italy felt himself get yanked into the water. His shirt came flying off and landed softly on the grass spot he had just been sitting on.

The liquid quickly surrounding the Northern half of Italy was freezing on his bare skin. He had been dragged down so suddenly that water was pouring into his open mouth. He thrashed and tried to return to the surface, but Holy Rome's grip was as strong as his swimming as he continued to drag Italy down. Dully, Italy was amazed at how deep the "pond" was.

Holy Rome glanced back at the panicking Italy and smiled. "Don't worry, Feli! I won't let anything bad happen to you! Just hang in there and we'll be together again."

His words combined with the reassuring smile almost instantly put Italy at ease. He stopped fighting and let himself get pulled deeper into the seeming unending waters.

* * *

><p>"Damn it! I told him to stay put!" Branches and leaves were angrily pushed aside as a disgruntled German and a worried Japanese man walked through the forest.<p>

The first man actually more of stomped than walked as his blond hair slowly lost its hold and fell in front of his eyes, making him only angrier. His black boots crunched the ground beneath him while his green pants protected his legs from getting too beat up. His black tank top began to stick to his chest from all the sweat he was producing, but since night was quickly arriving the cold was making him sweat less. His blue eyes were hard to mask the worry that squeezed at his heart.

The second man was much shorter than the first with short black hair. He held all the food they had bought at Chinatown because they didn't want anyone stealing it (or Italy coming back and eating it all). Unlike the other two countries that had accompanied him to getting stranded on the beach, Japan kept his white jacket on. His matching white pants were now much more brown and green than white and his black boots were just as dirty. His brown eyes darted in every direction as if he were looking out for something.

"You know Germany-san," Japan said nervously. "I was talking with China and he said people don't like coming into this forest anymore."

The German pushed some more greenery away. "Ja? And why is that?"

"Well, there's this legend about a pond that widows often visited. Apparently there was a spirit living in the pond that let people see their dead loved ones again in exchange for offerings. The spirit was friendly until people stopped bringing goods in exchange for its services.

One day, the spirit snapped and dragged a woman under and ate her as her price. After the first taste of human flesh the spirit turned into a demon and no amount of offerings could make it nice again. It's said that to this day the demon drags people under using the faces of their dead loved ones."

Germany paused for a second. "That's…horrible." He continued forward once again, glad such things couldn't possibly be real. "You should stop talking to China. Either he was high when he came up with that or he's trying to freak you out."

The smaller man was surprised at Germany's answer. "He didn't make that up! It was part of the local's legends!"

"Why would they come up with such a creepy legend? Aren't legends usually supposed to teach little children lessons?"

"That's fables."

"Whatever. Let's just find Italy and get out of this creepy forest before it gets too dark to see."

A splash could be heard from up ahead, making Germany stop again and Japan jump almost ten feet into the air.

"Y-You don't think that Italy-kun found the demon, do you?" Japan asked shakily.

Germany sighed heavily. "Legends aren't real Japan." _If they were, however, I'm sure Italy would find a way to stumble across them. _"Look, why don't you go back to the camp site and get some rest. I'll look for a bit more before returning also."

"A-Are you sure Germany-san?"

"Yes, I'm sure. That story has obviously shaken you up, so go back."

Japan bowed gratefully. "Thank you Germany-san." The dark haired man swiftly turned around and followed the trail the angry German had made back to the campsite.

The blond shook his head and continued forward in the direction of the splash. Demon or not, Germany wouldn't be surprised if Italy fell into water and got caught on something under the surface.

When the shrubbery opened up to a small body of water and Germany saw a familiar shirt near the edge, his heart sunk. It had been quite a while since he'd heard the splash and he hadn't heard anything after that.

He looked into the water to try and find his little Italian. The pond was apparently deeper than Germany had first thought because it seemed quite dark down below. It was then that the last rays of the sun reflected off something in the darkness. Germany had to look away at first because the object had reflected the light right into his eyes, but when he looked back he knew what tried to blind him.

A metal cross.

Without a second's hesitation, the German jumped into the cool waters. His muscular figured allowed him to swim quickly and it wasn't long before Italy came into his vision. He appeared to be losing consciousness fast and not even attempting to hold his breath. Germany reached out and grabbed his friend's hand. He tried to pull Italy back to the surface, but something was stopping him.

Upon further inspection, Germany was surprised to see a small boy holding Italy's other hand and dragging the brunette down. The boy apparently felt the jerk from above and turned back with a demonic glare on his face. When the boy saw Germany his glare melted away into a look of shock. His grip on Italy loosened enough so that Germany could pull his friend away and out of the water.

The smaller man was placed on his back on the still warm grass. Germany pushed hard on his friend's chest, but no reaction was given. He pressed his ear to Italy's chest and, to his relief, heard a heartbeat. However, it was faint and on the brink of stopping.

"Come on Italy! Don't give up on me! Come back, that an order!" He pounded some more, but still he got no reaction. Deciding there was no other option, Germany pressed his lips against Italy's and tried to get him to breathe. Germany had kissed Italy before, but it had always been on the cheeks and he hadn't wanted their lips to meet because of a reason like this. Italy's lips should never have been so cold and lifeless.

Meanwhile, the water in the pond rose and formed into a human-looking shape. The creature's red eyes held no clue to what it was feeling as it watched the two personified countries.

"I don't understand…" The creature spoke though it had no visible mouth and its voice seemed to echo. "Why would he imagine you when you're obviously right here?"

Germany jumped away from Italy's lips at the sound of the voice and looked in amazement at the creature in front of him. "Who…er, what are you?" He demanded to know.

The creature let out a small, humorless laugh. "I'm sure you've heard the legends. I'm the spirit turned demon due to people's selfishness."

Germany couldn't believe it. The legend Japan told him was…true? _No! It couldn't have been!_ But here was the proof standing in front of him, and he wasn't one to argue with proof. Of course, also in front of him was a dying best friend, and that was slightly more important.

"You…you're the one who did this to Italy?" He kept his gaze on the pale, eerily smiling face of the man he had found long ago in a tomato crate.

"Yes," was the guiltless reply. "He peered into the water and I gazed into his memories to see if he had lost anyone. I was basing everything off of his own knowledge, but it amazes me that he has not yet realized his childhood friend already kept his promise."

"You tried to drown him using the face of the Holy Roman Empire?" Holy Rome and Grandpa Rome were the only two subjects Italy wasn't super excited and bubbly about, but still he talked about them. Germany had kept all the information Italy had shared in his mind and so he knew whom the creature was referring to. "What the hell is wrong with you? That boy was very important to him!"

The creature tilted its head to the side as if confused. It then closed its eyes for a brief couple of seconds before slowly opening them again. "Ahhh…so while he's too oblivious to figure it out, you've forgotten entirely."

"What are you talking about? Gah, never mind! I have to get Italy some medical attention!"

"Hold on." The creature raised its arm and a sphere of water came out of Italy's mouth. The water came to the creature and was absorbed into its body. "There. He should be fine now."

On cue, wet coughs exploded from the Italian. Germany quickly returned his attention back to his friend and held him close. "Italy! Are…are you okay?"

The small man's eyes opened all the way, which was a shock in and of itself. However, his eyes were clouded and not quite focused on what he was looking at. "Veh~ Did I do it Holy Rome? Did we make it? Are we together again?"

This wasn't the reaction Germany was expecting. He looked up to ask the demon what it had done, but the watery creature was gone. Sighing heavily, Germany returned his gaze to the happy man in his arms. "Uh…yeah. You did it."

Italy let out a small giggle before coughing again. "But you got so old! You look just like Germany now! Not that I'm surprised. I always thought that if you had survived you'd look like him."

Everything slowly started to fit into place in Germany's mind. He hadn't been sure who that child was he saw in the water, but he couldn't deny it held a striking resemblance to him. And the creature's words…could it be possible that he was indeed the Holy Roman Empire? He didn't have any memories of his past before meeting Prussia…

"Speaking of Germany," Italy's voice broke the German out of his thoughts. "I think I better go back so that he doesn't worry about me. It was so nice seeing you again Holy Rome." His eyes slowly returned to their usual, half-closed state.

Germany was surprised. If Italy was happy, why didn't he want to stay? "Don't you want to stay Italy?"

"Well…yeah…but…" He curled up and mumbled the next part into Germany's chest. "I miss him…seeing you all grown up made me remember how important he is to me…"

Germany didn't know how to respond.

"Veh~! I'm sorry! And after all the trouble you went through to get me here and-" Germany put his finger to Italy's lips to make him stop.

"I have a confession to make." He slowly removed his finger and brought his face closer to Italy's. "I am Germany."

A not very well known secret is that Germany had never kissed someone on the lips before then because he loved them. The contact with the now much warmer lips of the Italian filled him with an emotion he had never experienced before. At first he was afraid he had done something wrong when Italy did not kiss back right away, but it wasn't long before the contact was exchanged equally. A warm wind blew past them bringing the smell of flowers not native to the area brining both back to a time forgotten by most.

Suddenly, Germany realized what he had just done and quickly pulled back, a deep blush reddening his cheeks. "S-Sorry. Come on, let's get you back."

Another small giggle came from Italy. "Yep, you're definitely Germany."

"What's that supposed to-" Italy wasn't listening. Somehow, he had already fallen asleep. "Are you kidding me? You expect me to carry you back?"

Apparently, yes.

Germany grumbled a little bit more, but he honestly didn't mind. He picked up Italy and carried him bridal style over to the spot he had seen Italy's shirt.

It wasn't there.

"What the…?"

Two sleeved, watery arms came from the water and folded together so that the connected watery head had a place to rest. "My services do not come free."

Germany rolled his eyes and began to walk away, but a question kept nagging at him. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"…Why didn't you eat Italy? Isn't that part of the legend?"

The creature laughed bitterly. "Yeah, yeah it is. But so is the part about me snapping because people simply weren't giving me any offerings."

"That's not true?" He had thought that sounded a little stupid for a spirit to get so furious over.

"No, it's not. I snapped because I was falsely accused!" The creature took a deep breath to help calm down. "Sure, offerings had been less, but the locals had been giving me enough that I was satisfied. Plus seeing people's smiles and happy tears was what really made my work worth it. But…one day…this woman who had just recently lost her husband came with her teenage son. Her son didn't want to look in, but the widow was talking up a storm with me. She was so…happy. It was nice, that is, until night fell.

"She had left at around three in the afternoon, but she came back at nine. She seemed really out of it and her son was shouting at her to come back. She didn't listen and looked into the water. I kept away from her, but she talked just as we had earlier in the day to empty water. I'll never forget the words she said…"

"_I can't take it anymore! I need to be with you again my love!"_

"She threw herself into the water after that and drowned. The whole time her son watched with a look of satisfaction on his face. I tried to save her but…I couldn't…

"After I dragged her onto the grass her son ran away screaming that I had drowned his mother. No one believed him at first, but when they saw her body they decided he was right and they refused to listen to anything I said. In the end I took the woman's body away and buried it underwater. The locals then thought that I ate her and…after so many false accusations, I lost it."

That was a truly horrible story.

"When your friend came, I thought he was like the others who had been ditched by their friends in hopes that I would kill the grieving person so that the friends could inherit things. I was angry at people I didn't know and dragged him under, but when you came in to save him… not only was I surprised that someone was saved, but also by the fact that they were saved by the person they thought was dead!"

"So you never ate people."

"Nope. I always buried the people who drowned."

"Then let me rephrase the question. Why did you let go of Italy in the water?"

The creature thought about this one for a minute. "I guess…you could say I didn't want to lie. Had I kept him under much longer he would have died, but the boy I had promised he would be reunited with wouldn't be there."

Germany nodded. "Thank you. When I return I'll do some rewriting of the legends."

The creature shrugged, but its eyes showed how truly grateful the demon was. "Do whatever you want. Just hurry and get back. You'll both get colds if you stay out in the night wet." The form melted away back into the water, taking the shirt with him.

Germany frowned at the story and how twisted it had become. He had been, and still was, called a monster. Who knows what would have become of him if Italy wasn't always around defending him in his childlike way. Perhaps he'd become a demon, too.

"And thank you Italy." The German whispered.

"I liked it better when you called me Feli."

"You've been awake?" Germany erupted.

"Veh~ Of course! I was tired enough to not want to walk, but that didn't mean I'd fall asleep!"

Germany mentally face palmed. "When we get back home, I'm training you more."

"Eh? No! I don't want to traaaaaainnn…"

The blond began to walk through the forest again in the same direction Japan had gone earlier. "You got pulled into the water by a spirit! Armies are going to trample you if you don't train more!"

"But that's what I have Germany for! To protect me and give me kisses!" Italy tried to give Germany a kiss, but he was still too short to reach. The German figured out what he was trying to do and met the Italian half way.

The kiss didn't last long, though, because Germany pulled away to say something. "I don't mind kissing you, but in private only. That means when we get back to camp, no kisses."

"What about cheek kisses?"

"In moderation."

"Veh~! Okay Germany!"

The demon continued to watch the two lovers travel through the forest in the light of the full moon. Its eyes shined, revealing the more purplish tint that its eyes held when the demon was a spirit.

"Perhaps the world is changing for the better…"

* * *

><p><em>Notes:<em>

_-I don't even know what brought this idea to my head. I was just trying to get to sleep one night when I thought of drowning Italy in weird ways. This way won._

_- I originally wrote, "AUGH! I feel like Germany was pretty OOC in this! Please let me know what you think! Criticism is welcome!" but most people have been saying he's fine so...nevermind._

_-Japan seems like the kind of guy who'd always get roped into the local legends, don't he? ^^_

_-Yeah…maybe one day I'll write an OC villain that doesn't have a sad background, but not today. I didn't even give my spirit…demon-thing a name! I'm horrible!_

_-My kissing scenes sucked ass, I know. I'm working on them! This is my first one! …I think…_

_Well, thanks for reading! Reviews and faves are loved!_


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